


Circus Freaks

by OccamyEggshells



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Circus, No Dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 06:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18515917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccamyEggshells/pseuds/OccamyEggshells
Summary: A study about the circus and the night Credence and Nagini escaped.





	Circus Freaks

There were no people at the circus. Credence wasn’t sure if that was what made him feel safe, or if it was the anxiety that plagued his every thought. They were freaks like him, all inhuman, possessed, and worthless. Ma always said that freaks would end up in places like this. Freaks were meant to be paraded, to be laughed at. They were an example of what happened when the devil took hold of someone and that someone didn’t have the faith in God to free themselves.

Nagini was a free spirit tethered miserably by a curse that ate at her humanity. Credence watched as Nagini kept her eyes clouded and her mind detached. He never asked her where she went when she spaced off, and she never asked him about the scars covering his hands and back. The demon inside of him and the snake inside of her understood each other. There wasn’t a way for Credence to explain it properly when he told Nagini about it, but she seemed to understand well enough.

Ms. Goldstein didn’t think he was a freak. She had been following the circus through Europe, keeping her distance so that Credence could make the decision to approach her. Nagini thought Credence should go with her and let her cleanse him of his curse. Maybe, Credence thought, if Ms. Goldstein had found him before he befriended Nagini, he would have gone with her immediately. He couldn’t leave Nagini, not when he found someone who he could walk into hell with. They bonded in their sin while Ms. Goldstein hovered like an angel from God trying to bless them of their wrongdoings.

For a while, Credence thought Ms. Goldstein was like Ma. It wasn’t too off base, they had similar characteristics. Both of them had a purpose behind their actions that lay deeper than Credence could process. Passion sparked behind their dark eyes. Most importantly, both of them promised him shelter and safety, only to be revealed as liars. Ms. Goldstein, unlike Ma, had apologized and set to make it right to him.

It had been pouring rain when Skender made him wander around an unfamiliar city. Posters for the circus were tucked inside his coat to stop them from getting wet. Ms. Goldstein had approached him on the street with the same slow and open movements as the copper-headed man from the New York subway. She used her magic to cast an umbrella over both of them after making sure that they weren’t being watched. Her eyes met Credence’s as she apologized for not protecting him in America. She promised that she would take him to the man who could help remove his demon, and she would be his protector for as long as he wanted her.

Credence turned her down. He knew full well that Nagini was waiting for him back where the circus was setting up. Modesty was his companion before Nagini, and he wasn’t going to fail his only friend like he had his little sister. Ms. Goldstein hadn’t looked offended as Credence feared she might have. Instead, she told him that she’d stick around, in case he changed his mind.

Nagini was torn on whether or not she should stay in the circus or run off with Credence and Ms. Goldstein. Life under Skender wasn’t good, but it was secure. She knew where her meals were coming from and she had shelter. There were people who knew about her condition and were in no position to judge. Nagini wouldn’t survive in the world by herself, it wouldn't take long for her to lose her last hold on humanity and become the snake completely. If Ms. Goldstein couldn’t find her help like she found help for Credence, Nagini was doomed. Credence would be normal without his demon, and thus baring no obligation toward Nagini.

Credence’s demon, when having gone too long since being let out, omitted a strum of dark energy. Skender couldn’t discern the source, so when assigning blame, he chose the cursed woman rather than the scrappy boy who helped the house elves. As punishment for the dark energy, Skender isolated Nagini. Credence would sneak to her corner of the tent when no one was looking. His heart broke for his friend, which made his magic more unstable and dark.

The circus settled in Paris when Nagini suggested that they go with Ms. Goldstein. Credence and Nagini had been separated, miserable, and restless. If they were going to survive, they needed a change. Credence agreed. He held Nagini’s hands in his own and promised that even if his demon was removed, he would still stand by her. Nagini might not have trusted that statement completely, but she trusted Credence’s intent. During that night’s performance, they’d stage their escape and run away with Ms. Goldstein.

By afternoon, Credence had added another layer to their escape plan. An envelope, delivered by a mysterious man, reawakened a desire that Credence had beaten out of him by Ma when he was five years old. It was information about his birth, and the identity of a mother whose face Credence had long since forgotten. If Ms. Goldstein was as honest as she said she was, she would help Credence find his family.

When night came, the circus was lit up in flame. Credence had grabbed Nagini off the ground as the stress and commotion startled her too much to change back. People screamed as they weaved through the crowd, Credence stumbled as he tried to fight the crowd and stay near the circus. He kept his head up, hoping to catch sight of Ms. Goldstein. Credence had seen her during the show, she was somewhere in the crowd wearing all black. Nagini moved onto his shoulders, keeping her body coiled tightly around him to stop herself from being pushed off by the bombardment of people. The envelope tugged in his hand as if a magical wind was trying to take it from Credence’s grasp. With a sharp tug, the envelope blew off in the direction away from the circus. Credence spotted Ms. Goldstein about twenty feet away once he spotted her, he jerked his head in the opposite direction to watch the letter flow away.

Without another thought, Credence ran with the crowd away from the circus and away from Ms. Goldstein. Nagini coiled herself tighter around Credence, it was her only way to convey to him that he needed to think carefully about his actions. Credence skidded around a corner before breaking out in a sprint, he reached his hand up as high it would possibly go to reach the envelope. Between his middle and ring finger, Credence brought the envelope back down and put it into his pocket. Nagini slithered off of him and transformed back.

Once the letter was securely back in his pocket, Nagini grabbed Credence’s hand and ran with him back to where the circus was. Smoke still hung in the air, but the circus tent, the fire, the crowd, and Ms. Goldstein were all gone. Nagini dropped on her knees, knowing full well that Skender and the circus were gone to her forever and that Ms. Goldstein was only able to keep tabs on them by attending the shows. Credence stood behind her and opened the envelope again. He traced his finger over the name. Irma Dugard.


End file.
